Thanks to NetGalley and Be Kind Publishing for the opportunity to read an advanced reader e-copy of The Struggle Bus in exchange for an honest review.

Julie Koon's The Struggle Bus is a sweet adaptation of the phrase often heard used by adults to describe challenging situations. What a wonderful adaptation for young readers who are learning to handle emotions and ask for support! The message is fantastic, and the illustrations really help tie in the feeling behind the subject. This book is a great jumping off point to discuss feelings with children. I especially loved the discussion points at the end. Overall, a fantastic children's book!

The Struggle Bus is a social story for young children to help them understand the feelings that emerge you are having a difficult time. The story talks about ways you feel when you're struggling, that you may not be hopeful but those feelings are OK and they won't stay forever. Suggested activities are provided to relieve frustration and anxiety. Would recommend for any collection for younger children and in therapeutic environments as a social story.

A sweet book about when we struggle. I'll definitely be using this to help my kids sort through their feelings.

A unique story that will appeal to young children that are going through experiences or phases that leave them frustrated and ready to give up. The story promotes the message of not giving up and that a person is not alone with the feelings they are experiencing. As a teacher, i can see how this book could be used to begin a discussion with students about perseverance in situations that are frustrating and reinforcing the idea that it is okay to feel this way.

I loved this rhyming text. It is relatable, beautifully illustrated, and honest. It acknowledges big emotions while encouraging growth mindset.

What a sweet little book! I love the message of this book - that even though you are struggling, there are people around you that will always be there to help. I'm not a mom, but my best friend has two kids that I love to buy books for and my goal is to always find something that can be fun and also teachable. I think this is the perfect book for children to learn that they're not alone in feeling sad or upset or lonely. It's important to instill this in kids young so that they remember this lesson as they grow up and face more difficult challenges. One thing I really liked about this book was the final two pages that breakdown why struggling is good for you and how it makes you stronger and it gives examples of activities to try when you're feeling "broken down." I would definitely recommend this for kids, and I think I will be looking out for a copy to get for my niece and nephew.

Felt this one!! "The Struggle Bus" is such a great way to talk about topics like getting help with anxiety and depression with kids. The message was very clear and easy to understand. As a former kid with anxiety, this would have been a great book to have had! The illustrations were also wonderful, and the writing was lyrical and easy to follow. Will be recommending that my library purchases this once it is released!

I received an ARC from NetGalley. I think the book did a good job of demonstrating that everyone experiences struggles at some point in their life. The book also wraps up by providing some tips on how to cope with stressors and touches on scientific research about the usefulness of experiencing stress. However, I wish the wrap up part would have been illustrated to keep the readers engaged.

The Struggle Bus is perhaps the best SEL text I have read this year. Now when I explain to my students that their feelings, experiences, and emotions are human experiences that happen to everyone, I will have a super awesome picture book to go with it. I love everything about this text, from illustrations from which students can infer feelings and moods to the message of reaching out and being ok with getting support from friends, family, and teachers. Hard things make our brains grow!

A very short graphic novel. My first impression is, this book is very cute. I love the drawing. Simple yet have a meaningful message behind the drawing. This is a comfort book especially for kids.

This book is about a boy who took a 'struggle bus'. Along the way, we can see a lot of obstacle that the boy is going through. I get a message behind this which no matter how many obstacles we have going through, just keep going on.

"Hard things make your brain grow". Making a mistake make you way better than other people.

Quite hopeful, colourful and cheerful this little book is trying to telk kids not to give up and the struggles we are facing will not last.

Love the illustrations. They bring back our childhood instantly while reading it. The kids will love it but the adult/teacher reading it will have a calm and a peaceful smile while doing it.

I would also like to add that it's okay to rest and relax.

Thank you, author/artist, for the beautiful advance reading copy.

As a millennial who grew up in a household that didn’t often discuss feelings and promoted toxic positivity, this book was a breath of fresh air. I can’t help but feel emotional thinking about all of the children who will benefit from hearing words like these. I love the focus on allowing yourself to feel your feelings and encouraging you to reach out to people you trust for support. It’s hard to learn how to ask for help as an adult and I think it’s fantastic that children will be getting this message early on.

Is this a Children's book i 100% got for myself because it's Struggle Bus, yes, yes i did. i really like the art style, not all of the page is used and it's more darker in colors to make it feel more beak, in my opinion. i really like the fact that when the kid's struggle bus broke down and he got help, he still was on the struggle bus, like showing that even when you get some help you might still have some uncertain thoughts or small struggles along the way. the end of the book has some ways of dealing with stress, for kids thou i guess some could help adults as well,

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

I loved the comparisons in this book! The story made it easy to relate your feelings to the book and in a silly way laid out some great strategies for help. I enjoyed the pictures and pacing. This will certainly help with friends who get a little overwhelmed.

Ok so I'm never sure how to rate picture books but I always want to read them to try and find ones that I can recommend to future children

This art style and the writing style was adorable and the message was perfect

A more detailed review to come closer to the release date

I received this E-ARC on Netgalley in response for an honest review

I sat with my cousin to read this together on my laptop screen and he absolutely adored it. The illustrations are very simple, but lovely and effective and engaging.

The rhyming flows incredibly well and it was a joy to read aloud.

A truly fantastic message--for all ages!! It's okay to have bad feelings, it's okay that you're struggling. I know it's a children's book but, as I was reading it to him, I was feeling a little emotional over it myself.

The section at the back, with ideas for calming and dealing with your feelings was a delightful addition. I thought the section discussing how struggling can actually have a positive impact on the developing brain is also a nice touch for those guardians/teachers who might be worrying about their child, normalising struggling and failure as part of growing up.

Props for diversity as well, that's always lovely to see.

I sat with my cousin to read this together on my laptop screen and he absolutely adored it. The illustrations are very simple, but lovely and effective and engaging.

The rhyming flows incredibly well and it was a joy to read aloud.

A truly fantastic message--for all ages!! It's okay to have bad feelings, it's okay that you're struggling. I know it's a children's book but, as I was reading it to him, I was feeling a little emotional over it myself.

The section at the back, with ideas for calming and dealing with your feelings was a delightful addition. I thought the section discussing how struggling can actually have a positive impact on the developing brain is also a nice touch for those guardians/teachers who might be worrying about their child, normalising struggling and failure as part of growing up.

Props for diversity as well, that's always lovely to see.

Oh my heart. We have all taken a ride or two on the struggle bus. This book was absolutely perfect for that student who feels alone on that bus! ❤️

This is a perfect book for helping children understand perseverance and growth mindset.

Definitely a book I will be recommending to my colleagues in school and one I plan to share with the children as well.

Beautiful illustrations and rhyming text that flows - the rhythm of the Struggle Bus keeps us moving on even when things are hard.

Beautifully illustrated and well written. This book provides children with language they can use to explain how they are feeling when things get difficult and the story provided reassurance that perseverance pays off in the end. The story is simple enough for younger children (3 or 4) but has enough depth to still be relevant for older children (8 or 9) so it would be good to use in a whole school assembly about overcoming tough situations.